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Jupiter family practices social distancing through photographer's lens

Photographer captures neighbors as they stay close to home
Posted at 1:22 PM, Mar 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-26 13:22:26-04

JUPITER, Fla. — This is the Duesing's family portrait. It's not a typical portrait, but showing what the family is doing while social distancing themselves from their neighbors.

"I'm baking a lot more," Stephanie Duesing said. "My husband's fixing things around the house that needed to be fixed forever. We just didn't have the time. My kids are in their pajamas, rollerblading around the house. My son is always shirtless, playing with his toys."

One of her neighbors, a professional photographer, noticed people like the Duesings making the best of all of the time they're spending in and around their Jupiter homes.

"So I decided to post it on our community Facebook page, saying, 'Hey, does anyone want me to capture their family and show how you're quarantined?'" Kristi Mangan, who owns Kristi Mangan Photography, said. "Most families are really excited because they know that this is going to be a historic time in our lives. They're just excited to capture it. I think a lot of families are also excited because this provides a distraction."

She has taken more than 500 pictures of 22 families and said more families want to be a part of the project.

"They will all get copies of these, because I want them to have these as part of their history as well," she said.

The pictures are lasting memories that Mangan is able to do from a distance.

"Even though we have to stay at home and we have to stay distant from our friends, everyone is doing the same thing and use this time and embrace it with your family," Mangan said.

Duesing is already loving the memories.

"Everyone's in a difficult situation, so to see how other people in the neighborhood, our friends and neighbors are dealing with this, just helps us feel less alone, helps us feels less scared, that we are all in this together," she said.